Zucchini, Eggplant and Ground Turkey Casserole
A healthy ground turkey casserole with zucchini, bell pepper and eggplant. A gluten free dinner meal the whole family will love.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant sliced longways ( about 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 Tbs diced garlic
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1.5 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp ground black pepper divided
- 1 tsp oregano divided
- 1.5-2 tsp sweet paprika divided
- 1 tsp dried basil divided
- a scant 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 cups strained tomatoes (Pomi is my favorite)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan ( omit for Paleo or Whole30 compliance)
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant longways. Place the sliced eggplant onto a tray or cookie sheet and generously sprinkle salt onto the eggplant slices. Let the eggplant sit and "sweat" for 25 minutes.
- While the eggplant is set aside, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and start making the meat sauce.
- Put the onion, garlic, and 1 Tbs of olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium heat for about 3 minutes, mixing every so often.
- Add the ground turkey to the pan, and try to break it up into smaller pieces with a rubber spatula. Put 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp of paprika, and 1/2 tsp of basil onto the meat, and mix it all together. Let the meat cook for 7-8 minutes, until browned.
- Add the tomato paste to the meat, and mix. Let the mixture cook for another minute.
- Then, add the strained tomatoes and water to the dish, and mix. Top the sauce with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp of basil, and 1/2 tsp paprika (you could add 1 tsp of paprika here, but make sure you taste the sauce to see if you want more smokiness or not). Mix and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
- Then take paper towels and remove the liquid from the eggplant.
- Put 2 cups of meat sauce into an 11x 9 inch baking dish. Then layer the eggplant across the top of the sauce. Cover the eggplant in 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, and spread it around with a spatula, then layer all of the slices of bell pepper onto the surface of the sauce. Cover the pepper with 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, spread it around with a spatula, and then layer the zucchini slices on top of the sauce. (You should have used up all of the meat sauce and veggies at this point)
- If you are using dairy, sprinkle the top with mozzarella or parmesan ( or both).
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until you can easily stick a knife into the casserole and the veggies are all soft.
Notes
- Instead of ground turkey, you can use ground beef.
- Instead of strained tomatoes, you can use tomato sauce.
- You can add a layer of ricotta or greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 993mg | Potassium: 1046mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1588IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 3mg